Taking his whippet - called Mr Whippy - on a stroll near his West London home, Davis treated onlookers to a glimpse of his boxer shorts, visible above the waistband of his jeans, which he wore slung low under his hips like a gangster rapper.

And thanks to his fitted designer T-shirt, he revealed a little of his much-discussed tattoo.

Some had speculated he deliberately wore long sleeves at all times to hide a tattoo on one of his forearms.

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But as he enjoyed the hot weather in short sleeves, it was apparent the design is actually on his upper right arm.

The presenter - who is often seen with heavy silver chains around his neck and hanging from his belt - completed his youthful street cred look with ripped jeans, matching grey basketball trainers and a satchel slung over one shoulder.

Davis is known as ‘Tinsel T***’ to his BBC colleagues because of his alleged nipple rings.

He has always refused to confirm reports of multiple piercings and inkings.

Asked if he had a tattoo, he once told an interviewer: ‘I’m neither confirming nor denying.’

Newsnight's new host Evan Davis, left, is pictured with the top of his boxer shorts showing (circled red). He clearly has a more relaxed approach to style than his predecessor Jeremy Paxman, right

To a second question about rumours of an intimate piercing, he said: ‘I’m afraid I’m not going to answer that.

‘Short of getting your photographer to pull me to the ground and unzipping and undressing me, you are going to have to think of me as a man of mystery.’

The former economist, who lives in Earls Court with his French partner, landscape architect Guillaume Baltz, currently hosts Dragons’ Den and Radio 4’s Today programme.

He will not take over as Newsnight anchor until the autumn.

When Davis worked for Newsnight as its economics editor between 1997 and 2001, Paxman nicknamed him Tigger because of his energetic and enthusiastic style.

Paxman, 64, stepped down last month after anchoring the 10.30pm show for 25 years, saying: ‘I should rather like to go to bed at much the same time as most people.’

Now Davis will have to readjust his body clock.

He currently goes to bed at 8.30pm so he can wake at 3.15am and arrive at the Today studio by 5am. He once revealed he has blackout blinds in his bedroom and uses a hypnotherapy tape to help him drop off.